IUCN – The National Wildlife Federation Bloghttp://blog.nwf.org
The National Wildlife Federation's blogSat, 17 Mar 2018 14:10:57 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.4139259312World’s Largest Conservation Conference Celebrates Big Winshttp://blog.nwf.org/2016/10/worlds-largest-conservation-conference-celebrates-big-wins/
http://blog.nwf.org/2016/10/worlds-largest-conservation-conference-celebrates-big-wins/#respondMon, 03 Oct 2016 17:58:36 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=123111Earlier last month, for the first time in its 60-year history, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) held its World Conservation Congress in the United States in Honolulu, Hawai‘i. The selection highlighted Hawai‘i , known as “the endangered species capital of the world” for its collapsing native wildlife populations, which is a microcosm for climate impacts and the destruction wrought by invasive species to native species and ecosystems.

The National Wildlife Federation’s International Wildlife Conservation team, Senior Climate Scientist, and Associate Director for the Pacific joined with our Hawai‘i state affiliate, Conservation Council for Hawai‘i, in representing the Federation at this global event, the largest IUCN Congress to date.

The Congress, with 10,140 registered delegates from 192 countries was the largest conservation conference in U.S. history and the largest of IUCN’s World Conservation Congresses. The Congress meets every four years to set a global conservation agenda and define a roadmap for achieving its historic agreements. Over 80 motions (equivalent to the policy resolutions approved at NWF’s annual meetings) were approved, some with amendments.

Here are some of the major conservation priorities coming out of this year’s Congress:

Expansion of Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument

Map courtesy of PEW Charitable Trust

On the eve of the Congress, President Obama used his authority under the 1906 Antiquities Act to expand the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. The marine boundaries of the remote monument, first designated by President George W. Bush in 2006, were expanded from the existing 50 to 200 nautical miles, expanding the area that protects over 7,000 species of fish, birds and other marine life, including key apex predators such as sharks and endangered species such as the Hawaiian monk seal. Obama’s expansion makes Papahānaumokuākea the world’s largest protected area, encompassing an area four times the size of California.

The expansion was proposed by the Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve Native Hawaiian Cultural Working Group, led by Hawaiian scholar Scott Kekuewa Kikiloi, former state Department of Land and Natural Resources Director William Aila, and others and formally proposed by Hawai‘i Senator Brian Schatz. The supporting coalition campaign included Native Hawaiian practitioners, fishers, marine scientists, businesses, youth and conservationists. NWF’s Hawai‘i state affiliate Conservation Council for Hawai‘i, led by Executive Director Marjorie Ziegler worked tirelessly to build statewide support, and we are so proud to see these efforts result in such an impactful win for wildlife and wild places.

Protection of 30% of the World’s Oceans

While about 15 percent of the world’s terrestrial regions is currently under some form of protection, only approximately three percent of the ocean is protected, leaving it vulnerable to overfishing, mining, pollution and exploitation. The IUCN is often the cradle for innovative conservation treaties such as CITES (the Convention for International Trade In Endangered Species), and delegates at this year’s Congress voted to set a goal of protecting 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030. In her speech at the opening ceremony, U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell stated, “We’re proud that with Papahānaumokuākea we have the largest Marine Protected Area on the planet for now. But in many ways this is a start of an arms race for protected areas and we hope that this record will not stand for long”.

Two of the Most Endangered Species on the Planet

Unsustainable fisheries were the focus of a decision to draw attention to the imminent extinction of the critically endangered vaquita in Mexico. IUCN’s government and NGO Members called for a permanent ban to gillnet fishing throughout the entire vaquita range in the Pacific Ocean.

Members also urged tighter restrictions on the trade in threatened pangolin species as defined by Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Despite current partial protection measures at the global and local levels, the species’ survival is at risk due to overexploitation, illegal trade and degradation of its habitat.

Global Ban on Elephant Ivory Markets

An elephant named “Qumquat” led her family across the border of Kenya into Tanzania, where poachers waited to slaughter her and her two older daughters. The smallest calf, Quanza, was found huddled near the carnage, traumatized. This beautiful photo of Qumquat and her family, taken just a day before the killings, has become an iconic symbol of global opposition to the brutal ivory trade. Photo by Nick Brandt, Big Life Foundation.

International ivory trading is banned, but domestic trade within countries is legal nearly everywhere. After much discussion, members approved a motion calling for the closure of domestic elephant ivory markets globally as a matter of urgency. Each country is now asked to enact laws individually, but IUCN’s policy experts will help countries craft the appropriate laws. “While the resolutions are not international law, in many cases, they are the genesis of international agreements,” said Enrique Lahmann, global director of the IUCN.

Hawaiian Bird Conservation

On behalf of more than a dozen national and international wildlife organizations, our affiliate, Conservation Council for Hawai‘i, introduced a late motion supporting increased conservation effort for Hawai‘i’s threatened birds. The motion was based on new information on the precipitous decline of Hawaiian forest birds released just days before the IUCN vote to adopt the motion. The motion past with strong international support.

Reconnecting People with Nature

The IUCN was joined by National Geographic, Google Earth Outreach, and Vulcan Productions to build a new global conservation movement. Called #NatureForAll, this movement is founded on the idea that the more people experience, connect with, and share their love for the natural world, the more support there will be for its conservation in the future.

More than 110 organizational partners, including NWF, have already agreed to join forces to share best practices and tools to connect people with nature. Many of NWF’s education innovations are already a part of this program and huge opportunities exist for collaboration both in the U.S. and internationally.

Members of IUCN also defined “nature-based solutions” as actions that protect and manage ecosystems, while effectively addressing societal challenges, such as food and water security, climate change, disaster risk reduction, human health and economic well-being. The concept of nature-based solutions is particularly relevant to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals that were jointly proposed by the United Nations and the World Bank, (launched in 2015 for achievement by 2030).

Supporting Indigenous Peoples’ Rights, Sacred Lands and Cultures

IUCN’s Members’ Assembly voted to create a new category of membership for indigenous peoples’ organizations. The new membership category opens the opportunity to strengthen the presence and role of indigenous people across the globe in IUCN. “Today’s decision to create a specific place for indigenous peoples in the decision-making process of IUCN marks a major step towards achieving the equitable and sustainable use of natural resources,” said IUCN Director General Inger Andersen. “Indigenous peoples are key stewards of the world’s biodiversity. By giving them this crucial opportunity to be heard on the international stage, we have made our union stronger, more inclusive and more democratic.”

Global Climate Action

New IUCN were approved to provide the conservation community with vital tools to support efforts to help species adapt to climate change. The guidelines are the work of more than 30 leading scientists and conservation professionals from around the world, who responded to the urgent need for a sound, wise way forward in this new and challenging field. As well as providing step-by-step guidance and information on freely available resources, the guidelines also include case studies of assessments carried out for species ranging from corals to butterflies and polar bears.

NWF’s International Wildlife Conservation Program, led by Vice President Barbara Bramble, co-presented a panel session on the current status of private sector commitments to eliminate deforestation from agriculture commodity supply chains. Expansion of agricultural production of major commodities has been the key driver of tropical deforestation for the last couple of decades. As more retail chains and manufacturers demand only “zero deforestation” products, the message is getting through to suppliers in the Brazilian Amazon, Indonesia and other tropical countries. As of 2016, over 360 major corporations have pledged to meet zero deforestation goals for the “big four” commodities, which are cattle, soy, palm oil and wood/paper.

Led by senior climate scientist Bruce Stein, NWF also held a half-day training session as part of the Congress’s Conservation Campus, which focused on providing participants with an introduction to climate adaptation. The training was based on NWF’s highly regarded publication “Climate-Smart Conservation: Putting Adaptation Principles into Practice” and was delivered in collaboration with the U.S. National Park Service and Wildlife Conservation Society. Fifty participants from more than 30 countries learned how climate change is affecting species, ecosystems and human communities, and how climate impacts are transforming the practice of conservation. The workshop focused on helping participants understand how to manage for inevitable changes, and how to link strategies and actions to climate impacts and vulnerabilities.

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The Congress was a long and exhausting once-in-a-lifetime event for everyone involved. But it was also exhilarating. When so many people come together, of all ages and from every corner of the world to address the most pressing conservation challenges of our time, great solutions are shared and hope rises. We surely have work to do to ensure our planet and the life support it provides continues to survive. Working together on a global scale, we may just have a chance.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2016/10/worlds-largest-conservation-conference-celebrates-big-wins/feed/0123111Achieving Zero Deforestation Agriculturehttp://blog.nwf.org/2016/09/achieving-zero-deforestation-agriculture/
http://blog.nwf.org/2016/09/achieving-zero-deforestation-agriculture/#respondMon, 19 Sep 2016 12:00:13 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=122559Since 1936, the National Wildlife Federation has worked to conserve the nation’s wildlife and wild places. As part of our 80th anniversary celebration, we are recognizing important moments in our history that continue to make an impact today.

What if civil society, non-profits, companies, and government were all on the same page about the value of nature and wildlife – and our collective responsibility to protect it? Would you wonder if it’s all just lip service or if there was real will to back it up? Well, that’s exactly what unfolded over the first two weeks of September at IUCN’s World Conservation Congress in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Founded in part by the National Wildlife Federation in 1948, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is a member union of government and civil society organizations that provides tools and knowledge showing how human progress, economic development and nature conservation can take place together.

Forest conservation and business engagement were both major themes of this year’s Congress, and the International Wildlife Conservation team co-hosted a side event (along with The Forest Dialogue, World Business Council for Sustainable Development, and IUCN) that brought these two themes together. Our panel explored the opportunities, challenges, and lessons-learned from “Zero Deforestation Supply Chains”. The official event page is available here.

Following opening remarks from Moderator Jeff Milder, Chief Scientist at the Rainforest Alliance, NWF’s own Barbara Bramble kicked off the event with a high-level overview of the link between agriculture and forest loss and what companies and governments are doing to sever this link. Agriculture remains the primary driver of deforestation around the world, and every year, nearly 4 million hectares of tropical forests are cleared – an area about twice the size of Massachusetts or New Jersey – for agricultural commodities like cattle, soy, palm oil, and timber, pulp and paper. Collectively, deforestation and agriculture represent almost a quarter of global carbon pollution.

Fortunately, companies and governments – following prodding by civil society – are starting to take action. In 2014, over 50 major companies signed The New York Declaration on Forests, which includes an explicit private sector goal of eliminating deforestation from the production of agricultural commodities by no later than 2020, and ending all deforestation by 2030. In addition to saving invaluable wildlife habitat, full implementation of the Declaration would prevent the release of dangerous carbon pollution equivalent to removing one billion cars from the world’s roads. To date, over 360 companies have now put forth their own zero deforestation commitments.

Of course, defining what “zero deforestation” means in practice can be tricky, and Barbara shared several definitions being used by governments and industry, as well as several examples of what has worked well in Brazil: the Amazon Soy Moratorium and Zero Deforestation Cattle Agreements. While there is still much work to be done to completely sever the link between forest loss and commercial agriculture, there is mounting support for this goal from the private and public sectors. NWF remains optimistic that, through collective efforts, we can achieve an agricultural transformation that safeguards forests and wildlife.

Bald-headed Uakaris in the Western Amazon of Brazil are threatened by farming. Photo by Aaron Martin / Flickr Creative Commons.

Following Barbara, Marcelo Furtado, Executive Director of the Arapyaú Institute and representative of the Brazilian Coalition on Climate, Forests, and Agriculture shared insights into how a coalition of the willing in Brazil has helped to push the government to get serious about tackling deforestation. Business leaders recognized that Brazilian agribusiness would not remain competitive in global markets unless they were able to achieve low carbon production and ensure that robust social and environmental safeguards were in place. When the necessary regulatory framework wasn’t in operation, these leaders began lobbying for action rather than remaining paralyzed.

In addition to describing the goals of the Coalition, Marcelo also stressed that it is absolutely critical to engage the young people of the world and connect them with forests and farms. Only when they understand the complex connections between agriculture and forests – and know where their food comes from – will they embrace what it really means to achieve sustainability.

Representing the private sector, Dr. Helen Crowley, Head of Sustainable Sourcing Innovation for Kering (the parent company of luxury and lifestyle brands like Gucci, Alexander McQueen, Puma, and Volcom) expanded on the importance of definitions when discussing sustainability and zero deforestation. Building on Barbara’s and Marcelo’s talk, she too stressed that leadership is needed from the private sector, and shared that Kering is striving not only for zero deforestation, but also for no conversion of any natural ecosystem (along with other sustainability criteria like just and fair working conditions). She cautioned that businesses and NGOs should try to frame things more positively. As we move away from agricultural systems that degrade ecosystems, we should be moving toward those that create services and value for people, wildlife, and environment. In this way, we can shift the paradigm from “do less harm” to “do more good”.

Sumatran Orangutans are critically endangered, in part from land clearance for oil palm plantations in Indonesia. Photo by Shannon Hibberd.

Last, but certainly not least, Omer van Renterghem of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands represented the government perspective. Omer was an architect of the Amsterdam Declaration on palm oil (co-signed by Denmark, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Norway), which aims to support the European private sector in achieving 100% sustainable sourcing and trade, and increased traceability of palm oil by 2020. The Declaration stresses Europe’s “opportunity and responsibility to move the global economy to a more sustainable path.”

As the second largest global import market for palm oil, and the home of many large brands, Europe has an important role to play in the global movement toward zero deforestation palm oil. Omer stressed that through coordinated support from European Union nations, combined with additional support from other consumer countries and key private sector actors, we can eliminate deforestation and achieve sustainability in palm oil production.

The session ended on a tough question from the Moderator: How are we doing in our quest to meet the New York Declaration’s goal of eliminating commodity-driven deforestation by 2020? While there were varying degrees of optimism among the panelists about reaching the target on time, there seemed to be universal agreement that setting an ambitious goal had spurred accelerated action among governments and the private sector. To paraphrase a quote from Dr. Crowley: you can’t just have little halfway targets when fighting deforestation – climate, communities and wildlife simply can’t wait.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2016/09/achieving-zero-deforestation-agriculture/feed/0122559Help Define a Sustainable Future for Allhttp://blog.nwf.org/2016/08/help-define-a-sustainable-future-for-all/
http://blog.nwf.org/2016/08/help-define-a-sustainable-future-for-all/#respondThu, 11 Aug 2016 12:33:56 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=121670The wildlife and wild lands we all cherish are at a crossroads. The ecosystems that support the planet’s wildlife and underpin our economies, providing with us food and water, are collapsing. Species are becoming extinct at unprecedented rates. Our climate is in crisis.

This is happening on our watch: so what are we doing about it? A whole lot, but not enough and not nearly fast enough. Our window of opportunity is closing, but it’s not shut yet.

You can join the global conservation community in Hawai‘i September 1 – 10 at the 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress to help define the path to a sustainable future. Learn about the latest in conservation and sustainable development from top scientists and experts. Share your ideas with heads of state, CEOs and leaders from NGOs and Indigenous people’s groups, and network with thousands of conservation and sustainable development professionals from around the world.

This ten-day event starts with the Forum, four days of the world’s largest marketplace of conservation ideas with over a thousand workshops and other sessions. The Forum informs the next five days, the Members’ Assembly. This is where IUCN’s 1300+ government and NGO Member organizations from over 160 countries vote on actions to address some of the world’s most pressing and often controversial conservation and sustainable development challenges.

The upcoming International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s World Conservation Congress (#IUCNCongress) in September is our opportunity to share with other global citizens our amazing islands. WCC, long supported by the National Wildlife Federation and their Hawai‘i state affiliate Conservation Council of Hawai‘i, is also a chance to highlight the extraordinary host culture that nurtures these remarkable resources. People often talk about environmentalism in terms of stewardship, but for Native Hawaiians, the relationship is one of kinship.

Hawaii Volcanos National Park. Photo by Paul Zizka, BIVB

We are literally the children of this land, kama‘āina. We call this land our “one hānau” the sands of our birth. Our origin stories or genealogy, mo‘okū‘auhau, link us to this place. To us, the Earth is Mother, Papahānaumoku – “Papa who gives birth to Islands”.

Our inspiration continues to grow from our environment. With an extraordinary cache of native language resources, Hawaiians enjoy a long history of knowledge transmission through a variety of practices that continues today. Scientific data lies thoroughly embedded in our expressions of cultural knowledge, whether in song, story, dance, or other forms.

Hula Performance in Hilo. Photo by Tor Johnson, HTA

This existing traditional ecological knowledge of Hawaiians developed from thousands of years of prosperous living on the islands free from outside influence. Extending far beyond cultural heritage, our knowledge includes complex understandings of evolutionary biology, watershed health, agricultural, aquaculture, and resource management that allowed over 1 million people to sustainably reside in Hawai‘i. This expertise will be integrated into the programming across the Congress. It is a model of sustainability that we continue to find ways to perpetuate – for our children’s sake and for our planet’s survival.

Hawai‘i, as an island, is a microcosm of the planet. We have seen our island communities struggle, realizing our resources are fraught with fragility and challenges. Yet, true island people understand the necessity of clinging together in times of greatest adversity.

The endangered Hawai`i Ākepa is found only in the forests of Hawai`i. Photo by HarmonyonPlanetEarth.

We understand the need to protect critically endangered species, such as the Hawaiian monk seals, as Hawai‘i remains the site of some of the most diverse and threatened ecosystems on the planet. It is called the “endangered species capital of the world,” yet these tiny islands just passed the broadest wildlife trafficking ban in the nation.

You cannot imagine how painful it is to walk through a forest knowing the songs of beloved, native forest birds that once filled those very spaces are gone forever. It is the heaviest silence in the world. We are a small population that fights so hard to protect our beautiful home, because we know loss and we want to stop the loss from continuing.

We understand it is essential to find ways to transform fear into faith – to turn loss into love and hope. So we offer the planet our own experiences as it stands at the crossroads, and we hope the road ahead for all of us is enriched with the knowledge of the past as it forges its way into the future.

NWF encourages members, supporters and affiliates to consider how they can be part of this momentous opportunity and to support the 2016 IUCN World Conservation Congress.

Tell us what conservation topics you’d like to see discussed in the comments below!

About the Author: Trisha Kehaulani Watson, JD, PhD (Native Hawaiian) is the Co-Chair of IUCN’s Theme on Indigenous Peoples, Local Communities, Equity and Protected Areas and on the steering committees of both the Commission on Environmental, Economic, and Social Policy (CEESP) and World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA).

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2016/07/highlighting-indigenous-kinship-with-nature/feed/0120992The Olympics of the Conservation World: Coming to Hawai‘ihttp://blog.nwf.org/2016/01/the-olympics-of-the-conservation-world-coming-to-hawaii/
http://blog.nwf.org/2016/01/the-olympics-of-the-conservation-world-coming-to-hawaii/#commentsFri, 22 Jan 2016 16:33:15 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=116651Do not let anyone tell you that dreams do not come true – this is a story about a dream that came true and that can change the future for wildlife and the world.

It began in 2008 when thousands of people including national leaders and conservation practitioners from around the world gathered in Barcelona, Spain, to attend the IUCN’s World Conservation Congress (WWC). The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), based in Switzerland, is the world’s oldest and largest global environmental organization, with more than 1,200 government and NGO members and almost 11,000 volunteer experts in some 160 countries.

Listed by IUCN as one of the top 100 threatened species in the world, the Hibiscadelphus woodii is now considered extinct due to the impact of feral goats. The survival of Hawai‘i’s native birds and wildlife is inseparable from the survival of the plants upon which they depend. Photo courtesy of National Tropical Botanical Garden.

The WCC is held only once every four years and has been called the “Olympics” of the conservation world. It is powerful, inclusive, engaging, and helps to set the conservation agenda for IUCN globally for the next four years. Hosting the WCC is very prestigious and countries around the world compete for the honor. It is a highly competitive process and one that is conducted by national governments, not cities or organizations. Bidding for a WCC involves high level politics and major commitments of time and resources.

Hawaiian monk seals are one of the endangered species living in Hawai‘i. Photo by USFWS

Following the 2008 WCC, a strange thing happened. Three dedicated conservationists from Hawai‘i – Penny Levin from Maui, Christopher Dunn from Honolulu, and myself (from Kaua‘i) indulged in a casual conversation about how great it would be for the world if the IUCN would consider Hawai‘i as the location for its World Conservation Congress.

We knew in our hearts that Hawai‘i could inspire the world through our amazing biodiversity, our vibrant indigenous Hawaiian culture and the commitment of the conservation community to work together to develop some of the most cutting edge biocultural conservation programs on earth. Hawai‘i has been called the endangered species capital of the world, and for good reason. Nearly all of our native wildlife, from monk seals to hoary bats to sea turtles to forest birds are currently listed as threatened or endangered.

In short, we knew that holding a WCC in Hawai‘i could be a game changer – it could be an important factor in moving our planet away from rapidly approaching the tipping point, and instead slowly move towards a turning point that will take us to sustainability. The stakes are high and our children’s children depend on us to make this change. Our planet’s biodiversity is our life support system and it is being degraded and destroyed at the rate that is unsustainable!

“Having been born and raised in Hawai‘i I have seen first-hand the increasing endangerment of our unique biodiversity and the renaissance of our native Hawaiian culture. Islands are evolutionary engines that generate biocultural diversity but they are sensitive ecological systems that are often the first places to feel the impacts of development, invasive species and climate change. Hawai‘i is a microcosm of the issues the IUCN is dealing with around the world and we have developed innovative and collaborative programs to deal with these issues. ”

In time, the dream spread and many passionate people began to add their voices and talents to our cause. While I was the elected leader for this effort, it took an army of dedicated people from the national conservation, environmental and foundation community to pull it off including help from the National Wildlife Federation and their Hawai‘i state affiliate Conservation Council of Hawai‘i.

The traditional Hawaiian land concept of ahupua‘a (from the mountain to the sea) forms the basis for biocultural conservation approaches today. Limahuli Garden and Preserve on Kauai is a living example of this. Photo courtesy of National Tropical Botanical Garden

From the very beginning CCH and NWF embraced and supported this effort because they understood the value of our dream and the impact it could have on their conservation mission. NWF is a founding IUCN member and has been a powerful voice for conservation nationally and globally. They knew that having a WCC inside the USA could be transformational and could catalyze change and action. Having supporters like NWF backing this vision gave it credibility and national standing – their voice is not easily ignored!

After many unsuccessful appeals to the US Department of State, it appeared that we had exhausted our options. With the determined insistence of former NWF board member Steven Montgomery, and fast action by NWF to mobilize fellow national conservation organizations, a sign on letter was produced at the 11th hour that helped to push the State Department to finally support and sign off on our bid to host.

Then, on May 21, 2014, to our amazement, and the amazement of many around the world, the IUCN Council voted unanimously to award the 2016 World Conservation Congress to Hawai‘i!

As we count down to September 1-10, 2016 when the world will meet in Hawai‘i, I encourage all NWF members, supporters and affiliates to consider how they can be part of this once-in-a-lifetime historic opportunity.

If you are an NWF affiliate or partner organization, consider joining as an IUCN member and send a delegation to the Congress. Your participation and support will help to ensure that the 2016 World Conservation Congress leaves a legacy that will change the world.

Leave a comment of support below!

About the Author: Chipper Wichman is the President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of the National Tropical Botanical Garden. For the past 40 years, Chipper has worked at the National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) where he has led efforts to preserve the precious natural and cultural resources of Hawai`i where he was born and raised. Some of Chipper’s many accomplishments include the creation of the award winning Limahuli Garden and Preserve on Kaua‘i, the restoration of Pi`ilanihale Heiau in Hana, the construction of a $15 million LEED Gold botanical research center at NTBG, and leading the effort to bring the IUCN World Conservation Congress to Hawaii in 2016.

The IUCN World Conservation Congress 2016 will be the first major international conservation event held in the United States in decades, and the decisions made there will have impacts that last for generations. National Wildlife Federation, as a founding member of IUCN back in 1948, has worked alongside the State of Hawai‘i , our state affiliate the Conservation Council of Hawaii, Hawaiian cultural leaders and leading national conservation organizations to help bring this important global gathering to the US for the first time.

September 1 marks one year before the IUCN World Conservation Congress and the beginning of a pivotal year for our world’s future. Later this month, the world will commit to deliver Sustainable Development Goals with a timeframe of 15 years – an ambitious agenda for improving human living conditions for all. In December, world leaders will meet in Paris to set the direction for combatting climate change. And one year from now, the Members of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), over 1300 of the most influential nation states, government agencies, and national and international conservation organizations in the world, will convene at the IUCN World Conservation Congress to set the global conservation agenda for the next four very important years.

This blog post from IUCN Director General Inger Andersen speaks to the urgency and importance of conservation’s role in defining the path humanity will take and how far that path takes us toward a more vibrant and sustainable future. It is also the theme of the upcoming IUCN Congress.

Planet at the Crossroads

We live in a time of tremendous change, the nature and extent of which is the subject of intense debate and attention around the world. At the heart of this debate is the clash of immediate human needs with their long-term impacts on the planet’s capacity to support life.

With a timeframe of 15 years, all the nations of the world have committed to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals – an ambitious agenda for improving human living conditions for all. There is a real sense of urgency in this call to action, as many believe that current trends are not sustainable and that there is a closing window of opportunity to effect meaningful change in Humanity’s trajectory. Our future will be decided by the choices we make now.

Today we are some 7.3 billion people on Earth and the UN estimates that, under a medium growth scenario, we will be more than 8.4 billion by 2030. Over half the world’s population is already living in urban areas, increasingly disconnected from the complex systems of Nature and the biodiversity that keep us all alive. Shifting patterns of global wealth and economic growth over the past 15 years have led to important increases in economic wellbeing, lifting hundreds of millions of people from poverty.

But in addition to the type of progress we all applaud, such as poverty reduction and improved maternal health, other problems persist or grow steadily worse. The benefits of development are not shared equitably, the gap between rich and poor is widening, and economic growth is occurring at the expense of ecological integrity. We can expect more of this to happen over the next 15 years, and time is running out for us humans to find ways of progressing that safeguard and reinforce the natural world that sustains us.

In one form or another, Nature will most likely go on, so the relevant question is: to what extent will healthy, prosperous and secure human societies continue to be a part of the story, and how much of the greater community of life will persist?

One can take a pessimistic view — that it is already too late to avoid catastrophe, and therefore we must now focus on survival and recovery. This leaves people in despair. Or one can be optimistic — arguing that Humanity has faced and overcome many great challenges in the past and will continue to do so. This risks indifference and denial.

There is, however, an emerging viable third alternative – embracing the reality that change is coming, and this can either enhance resilience or result in greater instability and uncertainty. This alternative future has been described in various global declarations over recent years, including IUCN’s World Charter for Nature, Agenda 21 and The Earth Charter from the Earth Summit in Rio, and several U.N. General Assembly resolutions on Harmony with Nature. Collectively, they point to the need for profound transformations in our patterns of production and consumption, and recognition that every form of life has value regardless of its worth to human beings.

This alternative approach stresses that nature conservation and human progress are not mutually exclusive: economic, political and technological choices can promote and even enhance our planet’s natural assets.

To inform these choices, IUCN works around the world in three areas: valuing and conserving wildlife and all of Nature’s diversity, advancing effective and equitable governance of the use of Nature, and deploying Nature-based solutions to climate, food and development challenges. IUCN is demonstrating that Nature is not an obstacle to human aspirations, but rather an essential partner, offering valuable contributions towards all our endeavours.

But there is much to do: We need to bring these pieces together, with all of IUCN’s members and partners, to collectively complete the greatest puzzle ever attempted: to secure Nature’s support systems so that Humanity and the greater community of life may continue to prosper on Earth.

This is our collective challenge for the next 15 years, and this is the invitation that the 2016 IUCN Congress is offering to the world.

About the Author:

Ms. Inger Andersen is the Director General, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and was appointed Director General of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in January 2015.

Ms. Andersen brings a passion for conservation and sustainable development with more than 30 years of experience in international development economics, environmental sustainability and policy-making, as well as in designing and implementing projects and generating on-the-ground impact. She has played a key role in supporting riparian countries on international water management and hydro diplomacy.

What stood out in particular, as a participant, were the level of governmental support demonstrated for greener campuses in Korea, its international approach, the focus on climate change and wildlife sciences, and its large network of energized students.

Government Makes Greener Campuses Priority

The Governors of Gyeonggi-Province and Yongin City and other senior public officials, shared perspectives with attendees on the importance of greener campuses to South Korea and to the larger world. The President of Kangnam University, Yoon Sin-il, highlighted the

“meaningful roles of the green campus movement in assisting with the country’s preparation of environmental policies, sustainable development strategies and measures for addressing climate change.”

Government support has also helped South Korea link to international efforts. Over the past three years, for example, its global green campus forum has brought in university practitioners from at least eleven countries and four continents, including Africa, Asia, Europe and North America.

Kangnam U's Honeywell-designed Green Campus System

From Sustainability Curricula to Sacred Forests

Proceedings illustrate various higher education emphases across countries and continents and highlight exemplary programs that might not otherwise be known as widely as deserved, such as Miriam College in the Philippines, in which the faculty and staff take a

“whole-school approach to sustainability education,” according to presenter, Reyett Paunan, “developing sustainability modules for most courses and implementing policies for campus operations, including the recycling of 80% of the campus’ materials stream and green building standards.”

Sonia Koumba Christelle Gerda, from Gabon, meanwhile, described her research efforts at Dalian University of Technology in China, focused on a large-scale urban renewal project in Libreville, Gabon, as well as work to protect and connect the country’s network of thirteen national parks that include biosphere reserves, elephants, and sacred forests.

Low-Carbon Strategies

Green campuses are one of eight national priorities in Korea for addressing climate change science, according to Environment Bureau Director General, Shin-Whoan Park, and also play a role in wildlife and habitat protection and restoration. Professor Si-hu Ju, of Kangnam University, for example, illustrated how the campus is achieving its goals to lead in becoming a low-carbon campus through education for students and staff, a detailed green campus plan with targets and timetables for efficiency and conservation, use of geothermal and other clean energy sources and a recycled water treatment system. The campus also boasts a state-of-the-art resource monitoring and management system designed by Honeywell.

Protecting and restoring wildlife habitat

Green Campus Initiative organizers shared the 2008 report, The Wetlands of Gyeonggi Province, describing Korea’s protection plans and priorities for some 2,000 rivers and streams that provide some of the most important habitats in the world for migratory birds, insectivorous (e.g. carnivorous) plants, and life sustaining water for farmers. Students and faculty, they explained, are key to the research, education and hands-on projects needed to protect and restore these important sanctuaries that hang in the balance as citizens debate the most sustainable approaches to development.

Passionate student leaders for climate solutions

Proud Green Campus Student Leaders in So Korea

One of Korea’s greatest assets for achieving its long-term sustainability goals, is its passionate student leadership. The GAGCI includes many student and young professional leaders and several of its partners, including Daejayon, the International Association of University Students for Environmental Movements (a member of the IUCN), provide channels for students’ voices and leadership.

The students supported through these various programs presented about how the hundreds of green projects they have lead to date, all across Korea and beyond, are motivated by the need to find solutions to growing global ecological and social problems. They pass out stickers that encourage “turning off power strips and standby power,” “saving every drop of water” and to “remember the millions of people throughout the world who are suffering from shortage of water and the climate refugees whose homeland is turned into desert.”

Fostering International Linkages

Thank you to Korea’s Gyeonggi-do Association for Green Campus Initiative for the honor of inviting me to present a keynote for this year’s forum about how “Ecologically Literate and Engaged Students will Lead the 21st Century,” as well as to Paul Rowland, executive director of the American Association for Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) for connecting Korea’s green campus leadership with National Wildlife Federation’s Campus Ecology Program. It is clear that Korea is working hard to advance green campuses as a national framework for sustainability and, through its higher education leadership and international linkages, is a country to watch as it enlightens the world about what is possible.

The future of life on Earth is on the negotiating table in Nagoya, Japan as delegates from more than 190 countries grapple with carrying out the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

Created at the Earth Summit in 1992, the Convention has set aggressive targets for cutting the rate of species extinctions and slowing habitat loss worldwide. Unfortunately, these 2010 targets not only have been missed, but the pace of biodiversity loss is getting worse. It is against this discouraging backdrop—as well as attempts in Nagoya to establish a new set of targets for 2020—that we must ask the question, “how much of a difference do our conservation efforts really make?”

A newly published global analysis, on which I am a co-author, demonstrates conclusively that the news would be even worse if not for conservation efforts already underway. “The Impact of Conservation on the Status of the World’s Vertebrates,” published today online by the prestigious journal Science, considers the fate of more than 25,000 species of mammals, birds, and amphibians worldwide. Assessing the conservation status of each of these species has been a gargantuan task, carried out by a veritable army of more than 3,000 scientists around the globe.

Although the term “big science” usually is applied to such endeavors as atom smashers and sequencing the human genome, the global scientific collaboration that underpins the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species qualifies to be included in that category. Reflecting the vastness of this effort, this newly published paper includes more than 150 co-authors.

Based on our latest assessments of the condition of the world’s vertebrates—that is, animals with backbones—nearly one-fifth are classified as threatened, ranging from 13% of birds to 41% of amphibians.

Understanding the current conservation status of these species tells only part of the story, though. To determine whether things are getting better or worse we must also have a way of detecting changes over time. Over the past few years my colleagues in the IUCN Red List Program have developed a means for analyzing trends in these species assessments — referred to as the Red List Index — to understand how well or poorly these species are doing. We found that from 1980 to 2008 an average of 52 species each year moved one Red List category closer to extinction.

Have conservation efforts made any measurable difference in slowing these rates?

This is a difficult question to measure directly, since oftentimes conservation actions are necessary just to maintain a species at its current condition, rather than recover it sufficiently for it to move to a less threatened Red List category.

The short answer is “yes, conservation efforts have helped and it could have been much worse.” Of 928 species that shifted in Red List threat categories, 68 (or 7%) showed an improvement in condition, with all but four of these directly due to conservation actions. By comparing the observed changes in the Red List Index with the trends expected without these conservation-dependent improvements, we can then conservatively measure the effect that conservation efforts have on slowing the global decline in these species groups.

Poison Dart Frog Sitting on a Leaf (Credit: Flickr/MoleSon)

The bottom line is that conservation actions can and do have a demonstrable effect on slowing the rate of global biodiversity loss—basically making a bad situation less bad.

Unfortunately, there is still a huge mismatch between what is needed and what is available for biodiversity conservation, both in terms of the scale of actions and investments, and where these actions are taking place.

As delegates to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Nagoya attempt to conclude their work, they can take heart that although the indicators of biodiversity health are still moving in the wrong direction, conservation actions and investments can and do make a real and measurable difference. To meet the scale of the challenge, and have a hope of making good on whatever new 2020 targets for reducing biodiversity decline are adopted, the nation’s of the world will need to dramatically ramp up our levels of investment and actions.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2010/10/new-global-analysis-shows-value-of-conservation/feed/27099Bangladesh Leopard Discovery Renews Hopes for Species Survivalhttp://blog.nwf.org/2009/08/bangladesh-leopard-discovery-renews-hopes-for-species-survival/
http://blog.nwf.org/2009/08/bangladesh-leopard-discovery-renews-hopes-for-species-survival/#respondSat, 08 Aug 2009 15:02:03 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/wildlifepromise/2009/08/08/bangladesh-leopard-discovery-renews-hopes-for-species-survival/ Bangladeshi conservationists reported on a rare leopard cub captured by villagers in the southeast of the country. The say it renewed hopes for the survival of the critically endangered species.

The Myanmar News reports:

“Professor Anwarul Islam, chief executive of Wildlife Trust of Bangladesh, said on July 23 the three-month-old clouded leopard cub had been released back into the wild.

It had been caged by villagers in the remote Chittagong Hill Tracts region, which borders Myanmar and Mizoram state in India, for the past three weeks, he said. “It was tremendous news because many conserva-tionists thought the animal was extinct from Bangladesh due to habitat loss.”

He said in most cases where a rare species is captured, villagers sell the animal, but in this case conservationists had convinced them to release it back into the wild. The species is timid and nocturnal and little is known about it, he added. The clouded leopard is listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.” See full article.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2009/08/bangladesh-leopard-discovery-renews-hopes-for-species-survival/feed/01103New Report: Imperiled Species of the World — The Red Listhttp://blog.nwf.org/2009/07/new-report-imperiled-species-of-the-world-the-red-list/
http://blog.nwf.org/2009/07/new-report-imperiled-species-of-the-world-the-red-list/#respondWed, 08 Jul 2009 04:00:34 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/wildlifepromise/2009/07/07/new-report-imperiled-species-of-the-world-the-red-list/ The International Union for Conservation of Nature recently issued its Red List report — assessing the status of species in the global environment. The news is

The New York Times and Nathanial Gronewold of Greenwire report:

“In its latest four-year assessment of endangered species, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has added several new entries to the Red List of Threatened Species. Judging from the list’s expansion, the report warns, the world is unlikely to meet a goal of reversing a trend toward species depletion by 2010. The report, ‘Wildlife in a Changing World,’ estimates that 22 percent of known mammals are either facing the threat of extinction or are already extinct. It also found great stress for amphibians, with more than 30 percent classified as threatened or extinct.

‘We now know that nearly one quarter of the world’s mammals, nearly one third of amphibians and more than 1 in 8 of all bird species are at risk of extinction,” IUCN warns. “This allows us to come to the stark conclusion that wildlife … is in trouble.”‘ See full article >>